Sunday, 25 November 2012

All thoughts and opinions are totes my own, and no one else's! BRING ON THE OPINIONS!!!

What time is it? It's PV Request Week time, that's what! Let's get into another Request review!

Now, just a reminder: I may not review all of these PV's, as I had said in the post concerning this PV Request Week. I will review the top 3, or the 3 that I think I should review if you have added more than that number of video's to your list. If I decide to review them all, then they may not necessarily be in a specific order... This PV Request Week might also last longer than a week, it depends.

As you have probably guessed, I will be trying to keep some of these requests in the order I got them. The only way I won't be keeping them in order is if I decide to continue the PV requests outside of your top 3/the extra's you have requested. That might just happen, because there are some great requests you guys have sent in!

So that said and done, the second PV I will be reviewing is another request from Nia. All of her requests are by the group Perfume, and after taking a look at all of the songs she listed (five in total), I have decided to review Secret Secret, the 9th track on Perfume's album GAME. It's an interesting song and PV, to say the least, though I had a hard time choosing between reviewing this PV and another one because I like them equally, but I also like them for different reasons in a sense...

Honestly, I'm still fighting with myself over why I didn't choose the other song to review, or why I should review this one... it's a hard choice, since I told myself to only choose three songs. Never fun, guys, never fun... but hey, what can you do? I can always come back to the other song at a later date if I find the time and energy to do so. It will make Nia happy, too... well, I hope it will!

So, it's time to get into Secret Secret. Shall we see if Perfume are hiding anything from us?

Where is Perfume? Mannequins go home, we want Perfume!

Oh, there they are! Phew, for a moment there I thought that they had quit this PV and left me with some lifeless mannequins to try and entertain me...

Wait... is that... CHOCOLATE???

It is, it's chocolate! It's the chocolate that was not present in the Chocolate Disco PV!!! My lord, you're late, chocolate.

Why is that space guy dancing? It's funny but also kinda creepy having this weirdo camera man watch Perfume...

A~chan: "Aren't we just fabulous?"

I have to say, these girls are looking quite fierce here... regardless of the ugly gray clothes they are all wearing.

Nerushite Nyan?

GAAAAAH!!! IT'S RETURNED!!!

Kashiyuka is simply gorgeous, you can not deny it! It is a FACT OF LIIIIFE!!!

Ah, normal clothes, though I see that A~chan still has trouble with her wardrobe people... fire them. Fire them now!!!

Kashi:"AAAAAH OM NOM NOM!"

Nocchi: "I want some too!!!"

A~chan: "Bitch please, this is mine!"

Is the chocolate really that good?

A~chan is contemplating whether or not the chocolate is really hat amazing...

Oh well, time to run away! Tee hee~

... Okay, these outfits are better than the gray ones, but seriously? What is with the wardrobe department and giving these girls shapeless, loose fitting clothes? And why is A~chan wearing such a horrible hat?

Again, I vote for firing the wardrobe department, or better yet, shooting them all.

Shameless self advertisement in the background there. Then again, isn't this entire PV based on product placement and advertising?

Nocchi: "I wonder what is beyond this staircase..."

Nocchi is extremely pretty, and sometimes, her hair truly works for her. Other times, I hate the style.

Kashi: "Mhm... Chocolate..."

All this product placement makes me hungry...

Nocchi has slaves!

And so does Kashi! Looking good there, girl!

... Though A~chan looks a little bit miffed. What did I do, A~chan?

Hiding from the Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-PAPARAZZI!

Ah... so was the staircase their gateway to freedom from the hellish halls of the studio where they were forced to eat the chocolate?

... Er, who are you? Why do you remind me of Tsunku, but less like a troll and far less attractive?

Oh thank god, that guy is gone! Phew! And now... LEGS!!!

Kashi: "Wait!!! The legs... they are a lie..."

Those damn legs better not be a lie, I like legs!

A~chan:"Whoa there, girl, my legs are awesome!"

Nocchi: "Bitch please, y'all just jealous of my killer pins."

Kashi: "We're damn mannequins, of course they are lies, they are made of plastic!"

Ah, she does have a point there now...

Chocolate makes the world go round, it is clear! Chocolate for everyone!!!

A~chan: "Now run before the authorities find out that we have developed minds of our own!"

That staircase reminds me of Kingdom Hearts...

Well, A~chan's going all out on the laughter factor, isn't she...

And Nocchi, wtf are you doing, girl?

Man I can't get enough of how gorgeous Kashi is...

Nia, what have you done!?

... I have a hard time caring about A~chan, which is mean but very very true... She just looks so soulless...

Kashi:"I can look soulless, too..."

Yeah, but you look cute doing it, so all is good there, Kashi sweety~

LEEEEEEEEGS!!!!

Kashi: "I stole y'all some chocolate!"

A~chan: "I thought we left that shit behind in the studio, what'cha doing bringing it with you!?"

Nocchi: "CHOCOLATE!!!!!"

Om nom nom nom... Mhm... Kashi Chocolate...

Maintenance! They've stopped working again, give them more chocolate!!!

Sadly, I do not have chocolate, so I will have to make do with my favourite Blog-time snack, Peanut Butter sandwiches! Yum yum yum! Do you want one?

Okay, food aside, let's get into the review, because I have been procrastinating enough here, and I mean it... It's been a good 3 hours since I wrote about peanut butter sandwiches, because I am easily distracted and also quite tired, but I like to finish reviews, so finish this one I shall! Let's get into the review now, shall we?

Secret Secret, despite not telling us any secrets, is one giant advertisement of a music video for chocolate which should have been in Chocolate Disco, which is not necessarily a bad thing because, honestly, this is a really good PV. I found it entertaining to watch, there was a good amount going on and I liked the product placement, mostly because the product placement wasn't just shoved in there for no reason and because the girls used the products and there was purpose for said products. That's advertising at it's best, I think.

As I said, this PV is basically one giant commercial. From the get go the PV opens with two short, commercial-like openings which, in my opinion, is extremely clever and original. We then get into the PV itself, and whilst I didn't click with the product placement at first, I liked the idea of the chocolate being the key to awakening the Mannequin girls who would soon appear on TV. It's quite different in my opinion and I think that it worked effectively. I liked that the whole idea of the video was basically based on the chocolate being the source of life for the Mannequin girls who were created solely for the purpose of promoting a product which in facts help them to move around and experience life. It's an interesting and rather original take and I feel that Perfume executed it extremely well.

The more I watched the video, the more I cam to the conclusion that the story behind it is about the Mannequin girls escaping and becoming their own people, rather than being controlled by a TV studio. You see the girls basically being controlled and confined. They work by dancing and singing, their movements as stiff as a dolls, and being pampered and preened to look beautiful for the camera before the scenes cut away to show the girls running up a staircase or walking outside, seeing the world. It's basically a story about the girls escaping and coming into a new world, one where they are free but need to hide in order to stay free.
Maybe it's just me who see's this story, but I kind of see it as a way of the Mannequin girls evolving and coming into their own, taking on their own thoughts and feelings and finally breaking away to live the lives that they want to live, and not the life that they were created for. They stop being artificial, and they become more aware of who they are and what they want, thus allowing them to finally run away and break free from the studio and their confined life.

I find it interesting, and I like that they key item throughout the video was indeed the chocolate because it allowed the girls to live and do what they needed to do. It made the PV so interesting to watch and follow, and it was fun finding a story behind it all.

As you can tell, I do like that the chocolate played a huge part in this video rather than just sitting there like useless product placement. It was fun how the video was executed and made to look like one giant advertisement, but with a back story and an interesting development throughout. I was entertained no matter what, and I really like this video because of that.

I found the girls themselves to be charming, especially with how they were able to look and act like lifeless dolls even when they were dancing and moving quite freely. They acted stiff, only showing emotion and life in the scenes where the girls were outside and free, away from the life they used to lead. The video actually reminds me of how Perfume seem to be right now, more like dolls who have a structured way of living, moving and thinking. It's intriguing, really, and such an interesting concept that the girls play out really well.

And yes, I do like that aspect. Then again, I like all of this PV, and I really can not fault it, because it's a wonderful video to watch. It's extremely enjoyable, the girls have such a wonderful quirky nature about them that translates so well in this PV even when they have to act like they are lifeless dolls, and the video itself is just so well made. Again, I can not fault this video, I think that it is absolutely fantastic, flawless even.

Moving away from the video, the song is also pretty fantastic. I really did not anticipate how much I would like this song, but it's just so darned catchy and fun, I really can't help but enjoy it! The more I listen to it, the better it gets. It's one of those songs which just sounds even better the more you hear it, I think, and the more you get used to it, the more you find yourself dancing along to the beat. Saying that, this is a song which I have found myself moving along to quite quickly. The beats are pretty infectious, especially in the chorus, and I can't help but tap my foot or move my head along to the beat. It's crazy catchy, to say the least, and such fun to listen to!

For some reason, the song itself is quite nostalgic for some reason. That may be because my sister listened to it in the past, but I do find the chorus to be very memorable. It sticks in my head and doesn't come out, I swear, but I love the chorus so that's perfectly fine! The chorus is probably the best thing about this entire song, in my opinion.

By far, Secret Secret is a lot better than Chocolate Disco, or at least it is to me. It's a lot more memorable, it has a distinctive sound which you can only pair with the group Perfume, and it's a fun, catchy beat which just gets stuck in your system quickly. I doubt that this song could ever be disliked, because it's so nice to listen to, and extremely likeable! The girls sound fantastic, the instrumental arrangement is wonderful and the auto-tune works really well, creating a rather sci-fi like sound which is enjoyable, but not over done or cheesy like Chocolate Disco could probably get.

The PV and song are a very nice pairing. I like the video for how well it uses the products and the refreshing storyline as well as the girls just being spectacular and enjoyable to watch, and I like the song because it's just that sort of song which everyone can enjoy, regardless of what groups you do or don't like. It's a good song, one which has been on a loop and has yet to get annoying. It's just that good... or at least, it's that good in my opinion.

Sadly, I have yet to find out this secret that Perfume are hiding from me... unless it's the secret that they are in fact Mannequin Girls who can only come to life by eating chocolate?

If I have made no sense throughout this review, please put it down to me being tired, okay~?